KOB Analysis: A Step-by-Step Guide to Prioritizing Your Keywords

Keyword opposition to benefit (KOB) analysis is a method for prioritizing keywords based on their difficulty level and potential traffic value. It was originally popularized by Todd Malicoat, and it's a simple yet effective way to ensure that you're focusing your content marketing efforts on the right keywords.

Here are the five steps involved in KOB analysis:

Identify your target keywords. This is the first step in any keyword research process. You can use a variety of tools to identify relevant keywords, such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs.
Estimate the difficulty of each keyword. Once you've identified your target keywords, you need to estimate their difficulty level. This will help you determine how much effort it will take to rank for each keyword. You can use a variety of tools to estimate keyword difficulty, such as Moz's Keyword Difficulty Tool and Ahrefs' Keyword Difficulty Score.
Estimate the potential traffic value of each keyword. The potential traffic value of a keyword is the amount of traffic that you can expect to receive from organic search results if you rank for that keyword. You can estimate the potential traffic value of a keyword using a variety of tools, such as Google's Keyword Planner and SEMrush.
Calculate the KOB Score for each keyword. The KOB Score is a number that represents the feasibility of ranking for a keyword and its potential traffic value. To calculate the KOB Score, you can use the following formula:

KOB Score = (100 - Difficulty) * Traffic Value

Prioritize your keywords based on their KOB Score. The keywords with the highest KOB Scores should be your top priority. These are the keywords that are most likely to help you achieve your SEO goals.

KOB analysis is a valuable tool for any SEO marketer.

It can help you to prioritize your keywords and focus your content marketing efforts on the ones that are most likely to be successful.

Here are some additional tips for using KOB analysis:

Use a variety of keyword research tools to get accurate estimates of keyword difficulty and traffic value.
Don't just focus on the keywords with the highest KOB Scores. Also consider the keywords that are relevant to your target audience and that you can create high-quality content for.
Be flexible with your KOB Scores. The difficulty of a keyword can change over time, so it's important to revisit your KOB analysis regularly.

KOB analysis is a simple but effective way to prioritize your keywords and improve your SEO results. By following these tips, you can use KOB analysis to create a content marketing strategy that will help you achieve your business goals.